When I noticed
by Nymus
Summary: Sometimes, you need a special moment to notice your feelings. Sometimes, you just need a moment
1. Again

**Disclaimer: The characters belongs to Hiro Mashima**

Drabbles about nice moments before you're a pairing

Second part to Wizard, from the When I saw you series

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 **Again**

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It was saturday, a few minutes after two and Rogue found himself counting the minutes. It shouldn't take so much, he thought. And then, when the clock's minute hand reached the seven it happened. There was a sound at his back and Rogue didn't even turn around to look at it, his eyes still glued to the TV.

"How can you keep failing your spell?" He said, while a weight dropped at his side on the couch. "And how have you not been kicked from that class already?"

"Hey, it's saturday, they don't need to know about those… incidents. And that's why I need to keep practicing! So I could make it right when they test me."

"I wish I could talk to them, so I could tell them you keep dropping at my house without being invited. Maybe then you would stop"

"If it annoys you so much why do you keep doing extra food?" Said the blond then, while taking one of the dishes over the coffee table near.

"It's just leftovers"

"Sure. That's why it's still warm and all"

Rogue shrugged, refusing to answer and pretending he didn't see the smile on the other one's lips.

"You know" the blond added "if you keep doing this I'll end by thinking you actually want me to drop by your house every saturday"

"In your dreams, failed teleporter" was Rogue answer, but inside he thought that maybe that wouldn't be a terrible idea.


	2. Bandage

**Disclaimer: The characters belongs to Hiro Mashma**

Drabbles about nice moments before you're a pairing

Unrelated

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 **Bandage**

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"You have to be more careful" Rogue said from his back.

"It was easier and faster that way" Sting answered, without looking to him. "You should be happy we finished the mission. Didn't you say you wanted to get back to home?"

"That's not the point and you know it. It was dangerous for you and besides…" the other mage felt silent and Sting curses on his mind. "Are you hurt?"

"It's nothing" he dismissed his worries with one move of his hand, but Rogue was already walking around him and it didn't take him too much to find his wound.

"You're bleeding. Why you didn't tell me?"

"It's no-"

"Don't tell me it's nothing if you are still bleeding. Do you need help?"

"I told you I'm okay!"

Rogue went silent but he glared to him and refused to move until Sting passed by his side, walking to the hotel when they were staying. He didn't say anything else, but Sting could feel his eyes glued on his back all the way back.

He thought it would be over once they got to the room they were sharing but when he sat on his bed, Rogue kept looking at him.

"What do you want?" Sting finally asked.

"You're still bleeding"

"Are you gonna leave alone or not?"

"No. Take off your shirt"

"What?" Sting was confused, not sure what to think about it.

"Take it off. Let me see"

Sting wanted to argue, wanted to tell him he didn't need his help, but he was tired for the fight and maybe for the blood loss. So, after a glare fight between them, he sighed and complied?

Rogue sat by his side, looking at the ugly cut on his stomach from where the blood slowly left him.

"It's deep"

"But it's small so it'll be okay"

"Still"

Sting shrugged but Rogue stood up and got a few things from his travel backpack. Then, he got back to Sting's side and cleaned his wound with slow and careful moves.

"Does it hurt?" he asked and Sting shook his head, even though it actually stung a bit. "Okay, so it does. It's gonna be over soon"

True to his word, Rogue ended his cleaning and then bandaged the wound with what he had got from the back pack.

"You need to be more careful or you are gonna really hurt yourself one day"

Sting thought he should say something, maybe stood up and leave the room, trying to keep the distance between them. However he was tired and felt like he deserved a few minutes of weakness, so he sagged to his side until his head was resting on Rogue's shoulder. Sting felt him tensing under him but then he relaxed and muttered "Idiot" and everything was just right for that moment. Things had gotten difficult between them but even then Rogue was still by his side and Sting didn't want that to change.


	3. Coffee

**Disclaimer: The characters belongs to Hiro Mashma**

Drabbles about nice moments before you're a pairing

Second part to Sleep, from When I saw you

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 **Coffee**

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To be honest, Rogue was mostly sleepy when he had accepted the invitation so it maybe wasn't his best idea. Once they left the bus and got to the cafeteria at the bus station, Rogue had woken up enough to start to feel ashamed both for sleeping over a stranger and for accepting a coffee from the same stranger. By the time his coffee was lukewarm and half empty, he was really embarrassing, even though the stranger, whose name was Sting, was very nice to talk to.

It wasn't usual to Rogue, since he mostly had problems starting and keeping a conversation with people he didn't know. The true to be told, it was Sting who was doing more of the talking, with Rogue just answering his direct questions or adding a few comments from time to time. However, even that was nice enough for him and better than a lot of conversations he had had before. Rogue wasn't sure what to think.

He had apologized more than once for sleeping over him and even drool on his shoulder, but Sting didn't care he had just shrugged and kept talking about something else. Rogue liked it. A lot. But it was destined to end, as they were just two strangers who meet on a bus by chance.

As if life had a sick pleasure on remembering his bad luck, Sting looked at his watch and started to collect his things. It was obvious he had to leave and Rogue couldn't stop himself from feeling a bit disappointed. Embarrassing or not, it had still been very nice to share a coffee with him and Rogue felt tempted to tell him to stay. He didn't do it, of course.

"Well, Rogue. It was a nice time spent here with you, but I need to leave or I'll be late"

"It's okay. Actually I should be leaving too" It was the true, even if Rogue hadn't realized until then. Seemed he got carried on.

"Oh, I see. Well, then…" he scribbled something on his napkin before handing it to Rogue "We need to do it again! So just call me or text me when you can and we can talk about it"

After he said that, he stood up, waved to Rogue a last time and left. Rogue stayed there for a few minutes, pondering over the dirty napkin. What should he do?


	4. Dark

**Disclaimer: The characters belongs to Hiro Mashma**

Drabbles about nice moments before you're a pairing

Unrelated **.**

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 **Dark**

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It would be funny in a few months, Rogue thought. It would surely be a fun story to share with friends once they got over it, but it was anything but funny and nice at that moment. Getting trapped at the tiny and dark room with the cleaning tools was annoying and stressing, even more because he wasn't alone.

Rogue was more or less resigned to stay there trapped until someone found them, but Sting was knocking and kicking the door while screaming his lungs out, hoping that someone would hear him. It was getting on Rogue's nevers, specially because it was Sting's fault that they got trapped there. He had been distracted and didn't keep the door open while looking for what they needed.

"Can you calm down?" He finally exploded "There's no one near or they would have already heard you."

"No, I want to get out"  
"Someone will come even-"

"I want to get out! Now!"

Silence followed his scream, Rogue a little surprised because he had saw him exaggerating and being dramatic sometimes but it had never been that way. It was weird. The blond resumed his frenetic knocking on the door but he stopped his loud callings so Rogue could hear his accelerated breathings. It made him furrow his brow and move closer to the door. Something was wrong.

"Are you okay?" the dim light filtering through the door let him see when he shifted around to try and look at him, before lowering his arm and answering.

"No! I'm trapped here and there's no one coming for us and there's not even a damn bulb here and…" He raised his hand again, but this time Rogue felt him and caught it before he could knock again.

"Stop. You're gonna hurt yourself"

"It doesn't matter! I want to get out! Let me go!"

"No, you're gonna hurt your hand, st-" Rogue felt it them. Tremors going through his body, including the arm he was holding. "Are you shaking? Sting, are you okay?"

That seemed to send the other one through the edge, because he turn around to face him and Rogue heard and hiccup before he said.

"No! I don't want to be here! I wan't to get out! I can't stay here, I don't want, I have to-"

"Hey, hey, calm down." Rogue felt his panic and hugged him, even though he wasn't sure it would work. It seemed to, because Sting clinged to his shirt like if it were a lifeline.

"What's the problem?" Rogue asked softly and after a long silence he got a low whisper as an answer.

"It's… It's dark"  
"Oh…"

"You must think I'm ridiculous"

"I already thought that so this changes nothing" Rogue heard a tiny and wavering laugh on his ear so he guessed he had done well. He drew small circles on his back with his hand before asking "Can I do something to make you feel better?"

He felt Sting shaking his head against his shoulder and he took it as an answer. He kept moving his hand and felt him relaxing slowly until he was mostly sagging against him.

"Are you better now?" Rogue asked.  
"Yeah..."

"Do you want to sit? There a clean space on the middle" Sting nodded on his chest but he didn't move so Rogue felt forced to add "Are you gonna let me go?"  
"No"

"Oh… Okay. Okay."

Rogue slowly moved both of them until they were sitting on the floor before he sighed and hugged Sting closer.

"I'm gonna remember this, you know?" he was teasing but his voice was fond and he guessed Sting noticed.

"Shut up" he said, but didn't move his head from when it was buried on the crook of his neck.


	5. Eat

**Disclaimer: The characters belongs to Hiro Mashma**

Drabbles about nice moments before you're a pairing

Unrelated **.**

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 **Eat**

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"Are you gonna eat that?" was what Rogue heard, before he lifted his eyes from his plate and looked over to where the voice was coming from.

"Yes"

"Ah, c'mon, You don't even like it!" Sting whined, because who else would dare to disturb Rogue while he was eating.

"Who says I don't?"

"You never eat it! And you know it's my favourite! Give me!"

Now, that gave Rogue a little problem, because he actually know it was Sting's favourite and it was also true that he usually skip that part of his meal. However, it was not true that he didn't like it and by those awful destiny's jokes, he happened to want to eat it that time.

Of course, that would settle the questions of why did he skip it most of the time and Rogue wasn't ready to answer that. So, he was left with the usually not hard problem of gave his meal away or eat it and face the endless whines and questions from Sting. How much he hated him.

"Why can't you just let me eat at peace?"

"You are so mean, Rogue. You refuse to give your guildmaster and best friend a tiny scrap of your food"

"You never give me anything"

"You never ask me to!"

"Because it's impolite to ask someone to give you their food"

"Mean. For the record, i'd totally give you something if you ask nicely"

"Sure?"

"Sure."

"So… would you give me that piece?"

"What… which one?

"This one" Rogue pinched the disputed scrap and ate it before anything else could be said.

Sting gaped at him, looking like if he had just stabbed him from the back.

"That's cheating!"

"You said you will give me you food if I ask, and i was planning to give you that piece, so it's just fair"

"I hate you"

"No, You don't"

"Sometimes I do"

"Well, it's mutual then"

Sting huffed before slamming his face on the table and Rogue smiled a bit. Seemed like he had avoided a problem.


	6. Leaf

**Disclaimer: The characters belongs to Hiro Mashma**

Drabbles about nice moments before you're a pairing

Unrelated **.**

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 **Leaf**

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Sting knew sometimes he was childish and he didn't really bothered. He knew it annoyed his friends from time to time but they all accepted it as an important part of himself and when they complained it was usually more teasing and jokes than anything else.

So, no one was really surprised when autumn appeared and Sting offered to help to collect the fallen leaves just to get a chance of jumping into the high piles of dead leaves. It was to be expected from someone like him. It was even funny to see, even though he did a mess and had to clean again.

Sting never complained, he was happy with being able to enjoy his silly entertainment, so he didn't care if he had to do the same thing once and again. That lasted until Rogue appeared, trying to keep Frosch on his arms.

"Stop jumping"  
"Why? It's funny!"  
"Now Frosch wants to do it too"  
"Frosch thinks so!" said the frog-cat  
"So?" Sting asked smiling "Let him do it! It's amazing!"  
"And it spills the leaves all around again, you're supposed to be helping, not making a big mess"  
"Aw, don't be a party killer Rogue! Come here Frosch!' the cat wriggled and jumped from Rogue's arms flying towards Sting "There's a huge pile just here!"

Rogue didn't say anything nor tried to stop them, but Sting could feel his eyes on him. After he teached Frosch how to jump and not get hurt, he turned around to see the other man, who was looking at him with an unreadable face.  
When he noticed Sting was looking, Rogue moved to his side and gently carded a hand through his hair. Sting looked at him, eyes wide and suddenly the air between them was tense.

"Uh… sorry" Rogue said "You had a leaf on your hair and…"  
"Oh? Oh, yeah, right, don't worry, thanks!"  
He looked away, faking? as he were looking to how Frosch was doing. It was stupid, he thought. It was nothing. It was a tiny leaf and he shouldn't put so many hopes into an insignificant gesture. Even if he wanted to.


	7. Message

**Disclaimer: The characters belongs to Hiro Mashma**

Drabbles about nice moments before you're a pairing

Second part to Game from When I saw you

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 **Message**

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Rogue wasn't feeling very well. He wasn't feeling well at all. It had been a rough month, rounded off with an even rougher and shitty week. He had been spending all his free time sleeping, which had been barely 3 or 4 hours a day. Besides his studies, he had a familiar emergency since his father had a relapse with an illness that was supposed to be healed already. Life sucks.

He was already better, but Rogue was still worried about him and lacking a lot of sleep and even with all his efforts he was a little behind with his classes. So, he was feeling very low and needed a full night of sleep. However, when he got to home, early for the first time in a long month, he didn't feel like going to sleep already.

It wasn't even that late and he doubted he could sleep with all the thoughts going around. So, he turned on his computer and logged his account, even when he didn't feel like playing anyway. He wasn't sure what he wanted, maybe just the reassurance of a normal activity.

The screen loaded and his character appeared at his last location, fortunately a city. He made him seat, wondering what should he do, when a message dropped on his chat.

"Hi, Blackie" it said, and the sender was, obviously, ShinyArmor.  
"I told you to not call that" was his only answer.  
"Don't be mean, I missed you! Where have you been?" Rogue read the message three times before sighing and answering.  
"Things happened"  
"How so?"  
"I don't want to talk about it"  
"Oh…" there was no answer for a moment but soon another character appeared on the screen and say next his own. "Do you want to see how many slimes can I collect without killing them?"

Rogue was surprised the other one didn't ask anything because he had gotten to him and he knew he was curious, but he was grateful anyway. A senseless slime hunt was exactly what he needed at that moment.

"I'm pretty sure you can't stop yourself for killing him if they're over ten"  
"You're so mean Blackie"


	8. Nightmare

**Disclaimer: The characters belongs to Hiro Mashma**

Drabbles about nice moments before you're a pairing

Unrelated

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 **Nightmare**

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Sting woke up because he wanted to go to the bathroom. That was it. There was no cute story behind what happened that night. It was mostly a coincidence but Sting was glad it happened. Even if it made some things weirder than they already were with his roommate.

He woke up, went to the bathroom and was ready to get back to his room when he noticed a small light on the living room. He thought it had been his imagination at first, but then he saw it again. He wasn't sure what it was and he even thought it could be a robber, so he made his way slowly to there, just to find Rogue sitting on their couch browsing on his phone. At three in the morning.

"Weren't you already sleeping?" Sting asked and startled him.  
"I could ask the same" he answered after he recovered.  
"Went to the bathroom. Was heading to bed. Not scrolling at my phone on the couch"  
"I didn't want to sleep anymore"  
"You went to bed even before i did because you said you were tired. How are you not sleepy anymore?"

Rogue went silent and Sting felt something strange. He wanted to sleep but he was worried for Rogue and didn't want to leave him alone until he was sure everything was okay. He moved to sit on the couch, by his side, and asked him.

"What are you not telling me?" Rogue stiffened at his side but he kept scrolling on his phone like if he hadn't hear him, so Sting continued. "You know you can tell me whatever you want, right? We're friends"  
"I know"  
"You don't need to sit here all by yourself pretending nothing happened."

Rogue sighed at him and locked his phone, putting it on his lap before saying.

"I had a nightmare and couldn't fall asleep again"  
"A nightmare?"  
"Yes. It's stupid you don't need to worry"  
"If it bothers you it's not stupid. Want to talk about it?"  
"Not really…"  
"Well, then…" They were silent for a few minutes until Rogue said.  
"You should go back to sleep"  
"What? And leave you here all alone? No"  
"It's late"  
"I know. Not moving"  
"What are you gonna do then?"  
"Keep you company until you go back to bed?"  
"You don't need to"  
"I know, but I want to. So… how are your classes going?"

Sting was successful at distracting Rogue from his nightmare, but not so much at sending him back to his room. The next morning, they were both sleeping on the couch, resting over each other.


	9. Smile

**Disclaimer: The characters belongs to Hiro Mashma**

Drabbles about nice moments before you're a pairing

Unrelated

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 **Smile**

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Sting thought it was important to keep in mind important moments, so you could see where you came from and where were you going. That's why he liked to have a list of every moment which changed his life one way or another. He didn't have a really good memory but those things he couldn't forget.

Finding Weisslogia was one of them, even if it was a blurry one, and it also was the morning when he woke up and found himself alone. He had another ones, his first victory on the streets, fighting another guy, the first time he could willfully activate his DragonForce, the day he found Lector's egg, the afternoon it hatched. The day he met Rogue for the first time, the day they both joined Sabertooth. Their first Unison Raid, the guild's victory at the Games and then their defeat. A lot of turning points on his life.

However, over everything else, he had a special memory about one moment on his life that was probably the most precious one, even if he would never admit it. He was planning to take it to his grave. It was a memory from his young years, from before he joined the guild, from when there was just Rogue and him.

That why it was embarrassing, he guessed, because one of the most important moments in his whole life was related to the black haired man. And it was so silly. It was ridiculous and Sting refused to let anyone know about it. But he remembered, oh, he sure did.

He could recall as clearly as if he was seeing it in front of his eyes again. He remembered the day when, after a lot of days, the green egg he and Rogue found had hatched. He remembered not only because it was the birth of one of his friend, but also because of Rogue. They had been together for months, and even when Sting had noticed his partner was mostly kind and sort of soft, he usually didn't show it.

However, that day he couldn't had controlled his emotion and when the little winged cat raised from his shell, Rogue smiled. To the cat, and then to Sting, who had been looking at them from a little distance. He had never seen him so happy before. And Sting realized, just at that moment, that he wanted to see that smile again, once and again.


	10. Teacher

**Disclaimer: The characters belongs to Hiro Mashima**

Drabbles about nice moments before you're a pairing

Second part to Library from When I saw you

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 **Teacher**

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The first time they met had been an accident. A mostly ridiculous situation was born from the need of both of them to pass their classes. However, it had evolved slowly and they could be called friends, more or less.

Two days after the Physics test, Sting had saw him again at the same table and asked him if he could study with him again, since it had been really useful the first time. Rogue, Sting knew his name now, had doubted a bit but then he just shrugged and Sting took a seat at his side, this time with his own book.

It was a strange friendship, since they didn't share too much time together outside the Library, but they surely weren't acquaintances anymore, after almost one full semester sharing a table and doubts. At the end, Rogue had been kind of tutoring Sting on his Math class, since he usually barely passed his tests and Rogue was good at them.

Sting had asked to pay him something but Rogue said it was enough if he got good grades. Some kind of personal satisfaction for him, since he was the teacher that got the best results. Sting didn't get it, but it was free tutoring for him, so he hadn't argue too much. Also, he had grown to enjoy his time with Rogue, even if it was spent in something so boring as classes.

Actually, he wasn't totally sure what was he enjoying most, the classes or the teacher. Maybe both. He had had some ideas running through his mind lately but he didn't want to risk his current position. However, sometimes, when Rogue leaned a bit so much over his shoulder while looking at an exercise, or when their hands got a little bit closer than necessary over the books, or when their fingers lingered barely touching while handing a notebook, Sting asked himself if maybe it was worth the risk. Maybe it wouldn't end so bad.


	11. Unison

**Disclaimer: The characters belongs to Hiro Mashima**

Drabbles about nice moments before you're a pairing

More or less related to Seasons and Solitude from the Stingue Week 2016, but not necessary to read them to understand.

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 **Unison**

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The constant stress of permanent training had been getting to Rogue. The pressure of always having to reach a goal, to fit an standard, to get better and better, hurt him in many ways.

At least, he thought, he still had Frosch, Lector and Sting by his side. They were the only friends he had at the cold guild that Sabertooth was. They were the only thing keeping him there, because he didn't want to go back to the times when they were alone, with no place to call home. The guild wasn't a nice place, but as long as they pleased the master, it wasn't that bad either.

Lately they had been failing that last part because they were still unable to complete the sleep he had asked them to, Unison Raid. It was very difficult, actually, because they magic were supposed to bleach with each other but, since they were complete opposites, they keep separating once and again before they could release them. It was a shame.

Anyway, they had no chance but keep trying and so they did, day after day until it worked. Rogue wasn't sure what happened, but it worked. The new spell, a mix of white and black left their hand and raised to the open sky. It made Rogue happy. Not only because it would made the master happy but because he thought the spell was beautiful.

It made him think about his relationship with Sting. It had been also hard at first, and sometimes still was, because they were different in so many things and kept clashing just as their magic did. Even then, at the end they had fit together and created something new. Something that, Rogue thought, was beautiful too. Something that made him feel at peace, even if everything else was crumbling down.

It made him happy to have him by his side.


	12. Visits

**Disclaimer: The characters belongs to Hiro Mashima**

Drabbles about nice moments before you're a pairing

Second part of Home from When I saw you

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 **Visits**

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Sometimes, Sting wondered if he should think it's strange. It shouldn't be easy, so natural to just drop at your neighbour's door almost every afternoon. It shouldn't feel so right that he did the same and no one asked any questions.

It had all started with an innocent action, when Sting had knocked at his door to thank him for saving his life with some muffins he bought at the nearest store. He would have wanted to bake them but he could barely cook well enough to keep himself well nourished. He doubted his saviour would appreciate a half burned muffin and he didn't want to sell his life so short.

Anyway, he had bought the muffins and presented? himself with a tray full of them at his neighbour's door. Once he opened, he had seemed surprised and even a bit uncomfortable, something that Sting didn't understood, because he owned him his life so buying him a few sweets was a poor way to say thanks.

He had said it wasn't necessary, that he did just what a decent person would do and that he doubted he would have died anyway. Sting had insisted and at the end he had accepted but didn't do anything to move or take the tray, so Sting stayed there for a long moment before asking if he could enter to set the tray. He ended by staying all afternoon.

It had escalated from there and currently he was sitting on the couch, talking about his day at work while Rogue was brewing some tea for both of them. It had became an habit after the first time.

And sometimes, sometimes Sting asked if he should feel so great about something so simple as sharing a cup of tea with someone else. However, when Rogue handled him his and take a seat at his side, he guessed it didn't matter. It was enough for him and that was the only important thing.


End file.
